A solar panel is the mechanical mount for a group of solar photovoltaic cells. The cells are semiconductor wafers that convert energy from the sun to electricity. A solar photovoltaic array is an arrangement of solar photovoltaic panels.

A closed landfill no longer accepts waste for disposal; Weston’s landfill was closed in the early 1990s. Closing a landfill requires specific steps mandated by the state to minimize impact on nearby land, water and atmosphere. After closure, the town must continue to monitor the landfill for minimal impact.

It provides electrical energy without consuming fossil fuels like natural gas, fuel oil, or coal or discharging exhaust wastes and contaminants like sulfur and lead. The energy from the sun is directly converted to electricity, by-passing the infrastructure supporting a fuel-based generating station. It will bring in $250,000 annually towards municipal energy costs.

There are 38 Massachusetts towns that have approved Landfill Post-Closure Use permits for solar, a necessary state permit required for landfill use. Towns with permits for proposed arrays include Acton, Billerica, Canton (array operating since August 2012), Lancaster, Maynard, and Sudbury. The average array for these 6 towns produces 2.6 Megawatts on 19 acres. The proposed array for Weston will produce approximately 1 Megawatt on 5 acres.